Fort Lauderdale woman accused of exam fraud tied to Broward schools
A Fort Lauderdale woman is accused of taking certification tests for others, including exams tied to Broward schools. State investigators say the scheme may have reached eight or nine people statewide.
Kashaundra Knowles, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, was arrested June 25 in a scheme that allegedly put uncertified people in the path to teaching and other licenses. The fraud touched Broward County Public Schools and extended beyond a single campus.
The case started with a separate probe into cheating on the NCLEX-RN nursing exam. Pearson VUE Special Investigations flagged Knowles in check-in photos for a December 6, 2024 nursing exam taken in another person’s name, and palm-vein biometric analysis, photographs, telephone toll records, text messages and surveillance tied her to multiple Florida Teacher Certification Examination proxy attempts between 2024 and 2026. Knowles took a legitimate FTCE exam in 2018, giving investigators the biometric baseline they used to identify her.
Knowles recruited customers through Facebook and Instagram and charged about $1,000 per exam. She used disguises, changing her hair, clothes and makeup to resemble the person she was impersonating, and in at least one case dressed as a man to take an elementary education exam. The alleged conduct was not limited to one credentialing track; Knowles is also accused of handling GED and nursing exams for other people.
At least eight or nine people statewide were involved, with incidents in Broward, Palm Beach and Volusia counties. In Broward, two of the people tied to the case worked at public schools: one at Westglades Middle School in Parkland and another as a teacher assistant at Parkway Middle School in Fort Lauderdale. Broward Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the district would investigate and that anyone who cheated was unlikely to remain in the district by fall.
The state worked with the U.S. Department of Education on the case, and statewide prosecutor Nick Khalil said investigators believe the network could expand as they continue identifying people who used it.
Knowles faces charges including organized scheme to defraud, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and money laundering. Educators who fraudulently obtained certificates could face denial, revocation or proceedings before the Education Practices Commission, while school districts can also pursue labor and employment action when a certificate was obtained fraudulently.
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